Iberostar Hacienda Dominicus Reviews

We have visited this hotel twice and have no negative comments to make whatsoever. The rooms are clean and comfortable and kept to this standard throughout your stay. All the staff were friendly and couldn't do enough to help you. They were very attentive and if you ordered a drink one day they would have it ready on your table the follwing day. Public areas of the hotel were spotless. The food was well cooked and always fresh. I found that there wasn't much to choose from after a few days, but I think that was more down to me being a fussy eater. The steak house was great. The beach is just what you dream about, white sand, blue sea and not packed, there are plenty of sunbeds, although you have to be early for one with cover. There are waterspots for those who want to do something a little strenuous, or just lie on the beach and get drinks delivered to your sunbed. A very relaxing holiday, and will go back again one day. I wouldnt go to the welome meeting unless you want to buy trips as that is all that they cover. See your rep during your holiday if you want to go on a trip, rather than waste a couple of hours at the welcome meeting. Monster trucks well worth it, pack pencils and pens to take for the kids. Santo Domingo a real let down. Helicopter ride, bit scary if your frightened of heights. This is the third hotel that we have visited in Dominican and definately the best.

Have just arrived back from two weeks in the Hacienda Dominicus and had a good time. The bus journey from the airport was not good and took nearly 2 hours. On arriving at the hotel we were very pleased with our room which was near the pool and on the ground floor. The rooms are quite large and very well airconditioned. Whilst we were there the hotel supplied coffee making machines and are in the process of supplying irons to each room. In a review I read that straighteners didn't work so didn't take mine but everyone else didn't have a problem with theirs. I think maybe you need to leave them on for a long while.

There were four speciality restaurants, our best were the Mexican and the Japanese (very much like Chinese). The steak restaurant was ok but nothing special. The Fish restaurant was also very good. The buffet restaurant was far too hot as it is open plan so no air con which made eating in there very uncomfortable. The food was of an ok standard but nothing special. The chefs were quite miserable. If you miss breakfast then the pool restaurant is very good. Although they say it is continental, they have bacon egg, omelete etc. Overall the hotel is very nice but the pool area could do with a facelift as many of the tiles in the pool were either missing or coming off and there were large cracks around the pool edge. The pool bar also looked a little tired and could do with brightening up. If you enjoy sports and games make sure you know when they are as if you are around the pool you won't hear the guys calling. Best to stay on the beach and watch for the games.

There isn't really much near the hotel but if you walk along the beach for 5 mins towards the Wyndam hotel and cut through the car park you will find a street with a few bars, restaurants and some shops. We didn't discover this until two days before we were due to leave. They also have two cash points. We had a problem with the cashpoint machine in the hotel as it was out of order for the last week.
We went on the Santa domingo trip which takes about 2 hours to get to. Glad I went but would rather have had more time around the town. The tour is mainly museums. The Jeep Safari was very good and lots of fun.

Overall the Holiday was very good and would recommend the hotel.

well what can i say apart from wow, best holiday ever.

First i will start with the bad comments, and there are only two, first there is a really bad smell when the sprinklers are turned on, mainly because they use recycled water, which obviously helps there country, you get used to the smell but the first time you smell it its like nothing you have smelt before!! and second the first choice holiday rep, not satisfactory at all, he was a nice friendly chap dont get me wrong but i found more out talking to the thomson rep no offence, he was never there at the times he said, never really gave you information until you asked or said you had heard something from someone else, he would never contact you with any problems but would wait until last minute, oh and one more bad thing the transfer time to the airport is horrible, on the way there not too bad on the way home the coach had no air conditioning so people were being sick, horrible experience, apart from that an amazing holiday, the points are not really that major!

hotel is outstanding everything from the buffet to your rooms to the lobby is amazing, the speciality restaurants are to die for and are all in tradition with the style of restaurant, everything in the hotel is set out perfectly, everywhere is within distance.

Beach is beautiful although there are some nice shops on the beach they do pester but once you say no they do leave you alone to relax or have a nice stroll on the beach!

Pool is amazing, staff could not help enough always getting you drinks making sure you was okay although we got a courtesy call from reception one night at half 11 and a wake up call at 5am which was not for our room!!

i got a bit poorly whilst there but lost half a stone which i had been trying to lose at the gym for about 6 weeks so although it sounds bad i was happy.

i know they recommend taking maleria tablets whilst there but alot of people we got friendly with stopped taking them because it was making them poorly, i stopped taking them half way through but the damage had already been done as they were already in my system and continued to be poorly for about 4 weeks, not down too the hotel food though it was just the tablets.

there was always sun loungers around the pool to use.

entertaintment good but not as good a previous iberostars i have been too and also being a uni student studying dance and drama i have high expectations any way my fella thought they was great but that is probably because the female dancers were always wearing thongs too dance in, not my cup of tea, especially when a couple didnt have nice bums!!

i would definitely recommend this hotel to everyone and anyone something too do from young to old!! went on the jeep safari and had leandro as a guide who was hilarious, cant tell you in words how much of an amazing guide he was, we had so much fun, he knew loads of 50cent songs so was trying to sing too us! great excursion!!

have a brilliant time if you go i know you will!! 5 star hotel, also use the laundry service so cheap and your clothes come back immaculate!

excellent holiday all round!!

We had a fabulous time,Fantastic hotel , couldn't fault anytyhing.food was lovely.

rooms was really clean and all staff was really friendly. and we went late september and it was boiling hot , in fact the heat was unbearable.we had never been before and didnt know what to expect , read some reviews and they said there were monster cockroaches which put me off, but we didnt see one! If you want a umberella on the beach be up early and even then the foreigners still try and push you out from under it.all restaurants are fab japanese and colonial are by far the best , they treat you like royalty.we took travellers cheques and now wish we had took just dollars still ended up with a pocket full of smelly peso's, we knew we had to pay 20 dollors on return at the aiport but when we arrived we had to pay 10 dollors each,so as we had only tok 50 in cash we hadn't got enough and the hotel will only change cheques into peso's .They had told us that you MUST pay in american dollors at the airport but we hadn't got any neither had our friends, so they had to have peso's , they didnt like it but it was that or nothing

.......All in all it was FAB 5 star all the way and would definately go back... the staff deserve medals from dawn till well into the early hours they were all still smiling and happy after 18 hour days .If you want paradise then this is the place.......

My husband and I travelled with our 2 children to the Hacienda Dominicus on May 18th from Manchester.

All flights were originally with First Choice airlines as Eclipse are one of First Choice's sub companies. We were supposed to be travelling on their brand new aircraft both ways, but a couple of months before travel we were advised we would now be flying with Brittania {Thomsons}going out and First Choice coming back as not all their new planes were ready.

The flight out was not too bad. The usual economy standard, but at least the food was edible!!

This was our 3rd time to DR but our first to Bayahibe. We have previously been to Bavaro and Juan Dolio and stayed in 3* and 4* hotels. This holiday was to be a luxury as the resort is billed as a top notch 5* resort.
We flew in to Punta Cana airport {previously we had only flown to La Romana, so this made a nice change!} The airport was a breeze and soon we were on our coach waiting for the transfer, which took approx 90 mins.
On arrival we were greeted with a cold welcome drink, wristbands, luggage tags, key and towel cards and given a quick orientation tour with the help of a map of the resort. After that we went straight to our rooms which were in block 1. Ths block is close to everything except the beach.

We had 2 rooms which were interconnecting, one had a kingsize bed {my daughter and I shared this one}and the other had 2 smaller beds,which became the ";boys"; room!

The rooms are very nice. The room with 2 beds had no bath but a massive walk in shower. Massive is kind of an understatement, we could have fitted all 4 of us in it and still had room!!!
The bathrooms are quite a spacious size for a hotel room, as was the main sleeping area.
Each room comes equipped with shower gel and shampoo, hairdrier, TV with remote, safe, balcony and mini fridge {restocked every other day}. Maid service is daily and they do an excellent job, leaving the room spotless!
Your luggage is brought to your room a few minutes after check in and soon we were off down to the pools.

There are 3 pools at this resort. The main pool is a big lagoon style pool, with a jacuzzi in the middle {which is cold!}. One is a rectangle {activity pool} and the other is round and 5ft 4"; deep [scuba pool}.
There are lots of palapa's and loungers round the pools and we never had trouble finding one. There are even foamy mattresses for the loungers, which you help yourself to.

All 3 pools were great although we did have a problem with the main pool starting ear infections in 3 of our party of 4! We had complained to our Rep several times but he kept brushing it aside so we went to Guest Services to complain to the manager. The lady at guest services was very helpful and said she would speak to the manager about the problem. The next day, the pool was spotlessly clean and we even saw them cleaning it and doing pool tests, which had not previously been evident. After that, the pools were ALWAYS kept clean! My advice would be; if you get no joy from your rep, go to guest services, they are excellent and they actually listen!!

There are 5 evening restaurants.
The buffet - This was very nice, with show cooking and special themed nights. It was SO nice, we didn't really want to go anywhere else! Great variety of food and always something for everyone. All the food was well cooked and very tasty!
The Steakhouse - This is the snack bar during the day and then becomes steakhouse at night. We only ate here once as none of us are big meat eaters, but the food was very nice and they don't just do steak. They also offer pork and chicken {chicken was lovely!}
The Mexican - Fantastic! Lovely fajitas, but not much choice on the menu. Hubby and I ordered different meals but when they arrived they looked identical and tasted pretty much the same! Good food though and great service. We were asked if we would like Tequila after our meal and the restaurant manager spent a while showing us how to do them properly, before laughing at my husband burning his throat downing his first shot, but he was impressed and asked Kevin to have another go!! Watch out though...they are lethal!
The Japanese - We did not use this restaurant as none of us like Japanese, but we heard nothing but good things about it.
The Gourmet - Again we didn't use this one. I think there is a supplement for eating here, but I'm not sure.
The snack bar during the day is fantastic. So much choice! Even the Starfriends eat their meals here!! You will not starve with the snack bar here! It even has an ice cream machine!

The beach - What can I say? We have been to Bavaro beach and to Jamaica and I can honestly say I have NEVER seen a better beach! It is glorious! White sand {watch out, it gets VERY hot} and clear, shallow water of the turquoise variety. How much more blissful can you get?
Lots of loungers and shade, but get up fairly early if you want or need the shade on the beach, as they seemed to be gone awfully fast!

There is a lovely beach bar, in the shape of a lighthouse and it even has a small seating area.
The evening entertainment was good. It ranged from not quite so good to excellent during our stay, with the highlight being the Lion King show. You MUST NOT miss this one, it's exceptional!
The starfriends try so hard and work such long hours and yet they are always smiling! We made friends with quite a few of them, so if you see Freddy, Elvis, Jay-Z or Lili, tell them their white bambinos said hi! They really are so much fun!
All in all, this resort is fantastic. It has to be the best resort we have ever been to and we're already thinking about going back again next year.
I would give it 9/10!!!

Firstly I would like to say a very firm thank you to all the people who have reported their experiences of this FANTASTIC hotel, for which I found more than useful in making my decision to go. Now its time for me to give something back.

No problem getting sun beds at the beach or pool, we arrived at approx 9-30 to 10-30 each day on the beach mainly, yes there were the few greedy selfish people who reserve but not many, in our view we liked the area on the beach near the archery section as it was nice and quiet, and still got the sun and had parasols. as for the pool area again the greedy selfish slobs who reserve sun beds but there are loads to go around, and the reserved ones were usually by the bar, in summary we are very picky about where we sit on the beach or on odd occasions at the pool and we always found a nice spot to stay.

Nationality of guest's

Approx 10% Brits, 20% Americans 40% Germans 30% French

Animation Team

A smashing set of people approx 10 of them will be seen dotted around the place all day in different locations, one girl may come to you on the beach and ask if you want to take part in the Archery, a swift reply of No I'm just here to chill will send her on her way, with no hard feelings, same goes for Alberto who will come to you in the bar and ask if you want to see the show, again a quick no thanks will send him cheerfully on his way, after a while he gets to know you and tailors his approach accordingly, the others also very polite slapping your hand with a high five every now and again, but none of this felt like nagging.

You have to book the ala~carte restaurants at the guest services desk by the lobby bar open at 08-00 AM you need to queue but never more than 3 people in the queue when we were there, you can only make 2 bookings per visit so say book Monday and Tuesday on the Monday and go back on Tuesday to book Wednesday and Thursday etc... You need to be flexible with times as we had to eat at 8-45 or 9-00 some evenings which worked out well as we stuffed ourselves at breakfast and lunch which gave us time to make room for dinner!!! What FANTASTIC food.
The first day you arrive you will prob need to eat in the Buffet, please don't feel miffed by this as we were at first, it's because by the time you arrive the bookings will have been made for that day, but don't worry as the buffet restaurant is in our opinion to die for!!!!!!! With an excellent choice of food all brilliant quality and service as all of the hotel second to none, you get treated like royalty!!! You don't see mounds of fresh smoked salmon in a UK buffet. Or bucks fizz at breakfast!!!

The food throughout was superb. not so keen on the French Gourmet restaurant, had very limited menu, poor ceaser salad for starter, potato soup and lobster for main, followed by a cake for desert, no other choice. ask to see the wine list which they have, but don't advertise. Instead choosing to serve poor house wine.

Japanese restaurant a bit disappointing, not much on offer but the thrill of seeing it cooked in front of you is nice, not for the too shy as you will be sat around a table with approx 10 other people mixed nationalities.

Pool appeared fine could not see any missing tiles as I was also interested in this, I did see them cleaning the pool quite often it looks immaculate.

There is a good selection of cigars on site but wow what high prices, you may choose to go to the better of the 2 duty free shops at the airport terminal 2 at Punta Cana airport on the way back.

Don't even worry about bottled water, as soon as you arrive to your room there will be a big 1 gallon container of purified water on the dressing table, and a fridge full of approx 4 bottles of water 2 sparkling and 2 still, if you drop a couple of dollars each day on the dressing table you will have your fridge restocked every day, and 2 bottles of beer they give you each day plus 2 bottles of diet coke and fanta etc...
All water provided by the restaurants is safe purified.

Take US dollars with you and try to get them in singles, so you can give the odd tip like in the bar at night when the martini girls will bring you your order, you can also go to the bar as well if you prefer.

Don't be worried if you see poor weather forecast's before you go, we did but was nothing like they said, scattered cloud yes but it makes no difference, rain maybe but is over as quick as it arrives.

Hope this helps, You can be sure you will enjoy this hotel.

Drinks most international brands but more choice given on local stuff.

A word about Thomson who we booked with

Had to look for a while to found them at the airport in Punta Cana, not something you want after a 10 hour flight..but no worries Thomson, we asked the Thomas Cook staff who were their to help instead.

Thank you Thomson for putting us onto a coach that got a puncture during our trip to the hotel from the airport..ok not you're fault it got a puncture but what about the bald tyre don't you check these buses for safety!!!!!!! Maybe it was the fact it was bald that it did puncture.

When we left the hotel to return to the airport there was no sign of any Thomson rep, although we did get a letter explaining some of what to do at the airport, but not telling us enough, there was no one from Thomson to guide us to the correct area for check in, but again no worried as the Thomas Cook girl was there again to help us.

I have always thought a lot about Thomson but must admit I think standards are slipping now.

Currymonster